Mission

Improve the quality of life for our nation’s residents by assisting communities in implementing the Baldrige-based Communities of Excellence framework.

"For America to sustain its vitality, promote opportunity, and create a more equitable society during its second 250 years of existence, we must improve the performance of communities and the people who lead and live in them." Learn more and get involved.

Fundraisers and events help us raise awareness and generate crucial resources to serve our community. Join us at our next event and see how you can get involved. Find out more.

Events

We regularly travel around the country to spread the word about Communities of Excellence 2026 and the important work going on in our Learning Collaborative communities. Join us at our next event and see how you can get involved.Find out more.

A Growing Sense of Urgency

“America faces great challenges as we approach the year 2026 – the 250th anniversary of the nation’s founding. We believe the greatest of these challenges—in educational attainment, job creation, and health status—are most effectively confronted at the community level. ” Read on

Kruse Scholars

Meet the Next Generations of Leaders: Learn more about the Kruse Communities of Excellence Scholarship recipientsRead more.

News

Communities of Excellence 2026 would like to thank the 30 volunteer examiners who assisted us this year in providing feedback to eight community applicants for the Communities of Excellence Recognition Program. Our volunteers consisted of national Baldrige examiners, leaders in the Baldrige state and regional programs, and community leaders both inside and outside of our National Learning Collaborative.

The examiners participated in an online training session, conducted an independent review of the community applications, and joined online consensus calls to agree on the final feedback reports we provided to our communities – in total, nearly 200 hours of volunteer service. These final feedback reports provided highlights and considerations for improvement related to each community’s responses to the Criteria for Communities Performance Excellence.

In parallel with Baldrige Program’s mission, the purpose of Communities of Excellence 2026 and the Recognition Program is threefold:
1. To develop a nationally recognized standard of community performance excellence.
2. To establish role models of that standard through the Recognition Program.
3. To encourage continuous improvement through sharing of best practices and provision of feedback to communities on the performance excellence journey that will lead to better outcomes for the residents they serve.

All eight communities were honored at the Baldrige Fall Conference this year in Denver, Colorado.

We will once again be looking for volunteers for next year’s recognition program. An official announcement will be sent out in early Spring. If you would like to volunteer to become an examiner please join our mailing list to receive these announcements or check our website in early Spring.